Women's Cycling

Watch Out, Rio

A team of young women cyclists in Afghanistan has its sights set on the 2016 Olympics—and there’s more at stake than medals

stephanie pearson

Coach Abdul Sadiq with members of the Afghan men’s and women’s cycling squads. (Afghanistan Cycling Federation)

“I’ve lived all over the world,” Galpin says, “and the most chaotic traffic I’ve ever seen is in Afghanistan. It’s not an exaggeration to say that every time these women get on a bike, they are risking their lives. Not only do they get harassed and threatened, but they ride on very busy highways.”

Coach Sadiq and his team have devised ways around these obstacles. To avoid premeditated plots on the women, he switches up the locations for their biweekly team training sessions. The women also always ride with members of the men’s team and a sag wagon. In the future, Galpin is hoping to provide CycleOps indoor trainers so the women can train in a safer, less hostile environment.

With all these obstacles, why are the women so hell-bent on riding a bike? And why is Galpin supporting their efforts?

“It’s absolutely no different than encouraging young girls here to go to school,” Galpin says. “At the end of the day, these women are making a conscious choice. They know the risk and all I can do is support them the best I can. They inspire hope and confidence and build community. These women are daring to do this because they are the women who will change the country.”

What will really help change the country, Galpin adds, is if the women train hard enough to earn a spot at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. She’s the first to admit it’s a pipe dream that would require substantial feats like securing visas from the State Department to import the chosen few to Boulder, Colorado. There the team will have access to Galpin’s infrastructure support, and that of other sponsors, which, Galpin says, is mostly already in place. Companies like Liv/giant, Shimano, Skratch Labs, and Inertia Racing Technology, which donated the initial round of bikes, wheels, shoes, clothing, and hydration technology, are willing to help out with more. And other organizations and individuals throughout Colorado have offered to help ratchet up the women’s training by putting them through rigorous physiological testing, helping to coach and train, and providing them with places to live.

But first things first: On this trip, Galpin intends to sit down with coach Sadiq, the women, and their families to lay out the risks and determine just how badly they want to compete on an international level. “The best thing that could happen is if these women show up in Rio and wave their flag,” says Galpin. “Afghanistan is a country that would rally behind nationalistic pride. It wouldn’t mean that everyone was behind women riding bikes, but it would be a major victory. It would change everything.”